Dukhtaran-e-Millat

An all-woman outfit, the Dukhtaraan-e-Millat
(DeM) can be categorized as a soft-terrorist outfit in the sense that
it uses extra-legal means including threats to impose its doctrines
but has not taken to arms so far. The outfit, formed in 1987 has claimed
that the Kashmir issue is primarily a religious issue and jehad
is mandatory. It also supports the accession
of the Kashmir valley with Pakistan. The DeM primarily operates in the
Kashmir valley and its present strength is reported to be approximately
350.

The outfit has grabbed attention
in spurts due to controversial remarks made by its leader, Ayesha Andrabi,
particularly in the context of developments since year 2000. Of late,
Ayesha Andrabi has been very vocal in supporting a new outfit named
Lashkar-e-Jabbar (LeJ). This outfit has come into the news
after its activists reportedly threw acid on two women in Srinagar on
August 7 on the grounds that they were not dressed in 'Islamic' style.
The Lashkar-e-Jabbar had first announced, that it would begin to use
violence against Kashmir Muslims who were not dressed in their version
of 'Islamic Dress Codes'. While supporting this, Ayesha Andrabi issued
a press statement asking for an extension of this deadline to September
10, a request that was promptly acceeded. Later, in an interview published
on September 9, she said that the current campaign was the "beginning
of a comprehensive social reform movement based on true Islamic thought"
and also asked women in Kashmir to stay away from government jobs. These
reactions has led to speculation that the Lashkar-e-Jabbar could be
a front for the DeM to renew its campaign directed at implementing its
version of 'Islamic' social values.

Ayesha Andrabi, described as
a conservative Muslim and radical feminist, leads this orthodox outfit.
The outfit has sought to work in tandem with the insurgency which broke out in 1989.
During the 1990's, the outfit was active in organising protests against
Kashmiri women who did not adhere to the burqa (veil) system.
In May 1993, the DeM issued warnings to the women in Srinagar not to
venture outside their houses without wearing the veil. It also organises
protests against the alleged display of objectionable literature in
Jammu and Kashmir. Another issue that the outfit periodically raises
is alleged excess of security forces conducting counter-insurgency operations
in the State. It has regularly co-operated with the All Party Hurriyat
Conference (APHC) in organising protest demonstrations on this
issue. In June 2000, the DeM called for a strike against alleged custodial
killings by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir.

Security forces are yet to report
any instances of terrorist strikes conducted by the DeM though they
suspect that activists of the outfit act as couriers of arms and funds
for various terrorist outfits operating in the State. The U.S State
Department Report of 1995, held a Dukhtaran-e-Millat activist responsible
for a parcel bomb blast at the BBC office in Srinagar in which one person
was killed and another two injured.

The DeM has recently been linked to certain cases of
money laundering. The Jammu & Kashmir Police in May 2002 while ascertaining
an Islamabad-London-Srinagar linked hawala (illegal money transfer)
network arrested Imtiaz Ahmed Bazaz of Batmaloo. Bazaz, editor and publisher
of a Srinagar magazine Mountain Valley reportedly confessed that he
had approached Ayub Thakur, the London-based president of World Kashmir
Freedom Movement for funneling Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) funds
to the Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Andrabi.

Furthermore, cases have been registered under the Prevention
of Terrorism Act (POTA)
against Andrabi on charges of allegedly receiving money from the ISI
through hawala channels. A massive search operation was launched on
June 9, 2002 to arrest Andrabi, who has reportedly gone underground.
This follows the arrest of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, former chairman of
the separatist alliance All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC)
on June 9 from Srinagar under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act,
1978 for allegedly receiving money from the ISI through hawala channels
and for later distributing the same to different terrorist groups, including
the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM). According
to official sources, because Andrabi's husband Qasim Faktu was the financial
chief of Jamait-ul-Mujahideen (JuM), she reportedly started getting
money from Ayub Thakur through Imtiaz Bazaz to provide finances to JuM
as well as the DeM.

Incidents

2012

January 3: The LeT is raising a group
of 21 female terrorists at its training camps in PoK for carrying out
sabotage activities in India, Army sources said, "We have confirmed
reports that LeT is imparting training to 21 selected female terrorists
at its training facilities in Muzaffarabad in PoK for carrying out terrorist
activities in India," an unnamed Army official said in New Delhi.

Army said the new group, named as Dukhtareen-e-Toiba,
is planned to be made active in the Kashmir Valley by the LeT. The women
terrorists are planned to be infiltrated into India through routes in
Uri sector or using the aerial route through some other country.

DNA quoted sources as saying, "Inputs
reveal that 21 girls are being trained by LeT at Divalia, Muzzafarabad,
under the name of Dukhtaran-e-Toiba." The group, after training, have
been placed under the command of an LeT 'commander', Sayeed Sadaqat
Hussain, for future deployment in Kashmir, the sources added.

Intercepts indicate that the new front
is being activated since the earlier formation of women DeM led by Asiya
Andrabi has not been successful in mobilising people as it had in the
past. According to reports, the sources said, the effort is to try and
infiltrate these trained cadres into India either through the Uri sector
or even Nepal.

Another training camp, according to other
information, is located at Turbeladem in PoK in which over 400 terrorists
in various groups are being trained and that the facility is being commanded
by a senior officer of ISI. The sources said the ISI asked the LeT and
other terror groups to carry out attacks against the Indian troops deployed
on the LoC. These groups, the reports said, carried out reconnaissance
in areas on the other side of the LoC facing the Indian forward defence
locations.

2011

October 28: The head of DeM, Aasiya Andrabi,
was released from the Central Jail after over a year but was soon re-arrested.
Asiya was arrested in 2010 during the summer agitation in August for
spearheading the agitation in which over 112 people mostly youth were
killed across Kashmir.

June 8: The detained Dukhtaran-e-Millat
(DeM) chief, Aasiya Andrabi, was rearrested soon after being set free
on bail. The DeM leader was said to have been taken to a special women's
Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) in Jammu.

May 19: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court
canceled detention orders under Public Safety Act (PSA) against six
persons including chief of Dukhteran-e-Milat Asiya Andrabi.

April 16: Police arrested three alleged
killers of Maulana Showkat Shah, Javed Ahmed, Nisar Ahmed and Abdul
Ghali Dhar. The three belonged to the former Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen outfit.
Police further claimed that the conspiracy of the attack was master-minded
jointly by incarcerated, Dr Qasim Fuktoo, and Saut-ul-Haq. Dr. Fuktoo
is also the husband of Syeda Asiya Andrabi, chief of DeM.

April 14: Jammu and Kashmir Government
has slapped second consecutive PSA against DeM Chief Asiya Andrabi and
lodged her in Kote Bhalwal jail in the context of last year's summer
agitation.

2010

October 5: The Unified Headquarter (UHQ)
is also to review the detention of persons who were slapped with Public
Safety Act (PSA) during the ongoing agitation in the Valley. Nearly
40 persons were slapped with fresh PSA cases, which include some top
separatist leaders like Kashmir High Court Bar Association president
Mian Abdul Qayoom and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Aasiya Indrabi. Two committees
comprising the officers from Civil Administration, Army and Police have
been formed for Valley and Jammu regions to review the areas declared
"disturbed" under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) so that
the Act can be revoked from the areas wherever possible. The Government
has already decided to release all the students arrested during the
fresh series and dropped charges against them following the advice from
the Centre.

August 28: Asiya Andrabi, head of the
Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) as well as a hardcore separatist was arrested
in Srinagar. She had been evading arrest for the last three months since
the violent protests erupted in Kashmir. She is believed to be one of
the masterminds of the protests along with Masarat Alam Bhat, leader
of the pro-Pakistan Muslim League, and they spearheaded the "Quit Jammu
and Kashmir" campaign. Both the DeM and the Muslim League are constituents
of the Hurriyat Conference faction led by Syed Ali Geelani. Alam is
also carrying a cash reward of INR 300,000 on her head. Asiya shot into
prominence in the late 1980s when she launched the DeM essentially against
social vices. However, she jumped into the separatist campaign, which
began with the armed insurgency in 1990. Andrabi is married to the former
militant 'commander' and Islamist separatist leader, Aashiq Hussain
Faktoo alias Mohammad Qasim who is serving life imprisonment in the
case of murder of rights activist H.N. Wanchoo.

2005

December 10: The Jammu and Kashmir High
Court has quashed the detention under Public Safety Act of the Dukhtaran-e-Millat
(DeM) chief, Syeda Asiya Indrabi, and ordered her release. Quashing
the detention, Justice Nirmal Singh said the detention order was not
sustainable and it has been passed without application of mind. Asiya
was arrested along with her seven associates in September 2005 during
their campaign against alleged vices in the State.

2002

June 10: Jammu and Kashmir Police invoked
the Official Secrets Act (OSA) against senior separatist All Party Hurriyat
Conference (APHC) leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani for allegedly passing
on classified documents to Pakistan even as the computer seized from
his residence has revealed transactions worth crores of rupees. Commenting
on Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM) chief Asiya Indrabi, Inspector General of
Police (Kashmir Range) K Rajendra Kumar said police had not been able
to locate her. As reported earlier, cases have been registered under
the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) against Indrabi.

2001

October 23: The Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM)
Chief, Syeda Asia Indrabi in a statement on October 23 called for a
boycott of products manufactured by the United States and its allies.
The statement added that US President George Bush, by waging war on
Afghanistan, has "proved himself the worst enemy of Muslim `Uma' (community)
and Islam".

September 9: The Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM),
which has already announced support for the Lashkar-e-Jabbar's campaign,
has also asked Kashmiri women to stay away from government jobs. In
an interview, DeM's chief Ayesha Andrabi said the current campaign was
the "beginning of a comprehensive social reform movement based on true
Islamic thought".

May 18: The Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeT),
a separatist outfit, claimed that Pakistan terrorists active in Jammu
and Kashmir alone were the 'true representatives of the Kashmiri people'
and none else had the right to initiate talks with the India's Union
government. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, the outfit's
chief Asiya Andrabi also disputed the claim of the All Parties Hurriyat
Conference (APHC) to be the 'real representatives' of the State's people.